Bunch of little bumps

[speechmom53]

So Tubs' rash has gotten better. The steroid shot the vet gave him seemed to work. He hasn't been iching or anything. His gas has also shown improvement since he has been on the AvoDerm for about 3 weeks. Today he got a nice bath where I dried his wrinkles and folds, but let the rest of him air dry in the warm sun. He was shedding like crazy. I pulled a lot of his hair out of the sink I bathed him in and brushed him to help with that, but it was out of control. Later on in the day as he was walking around the house the light hit him just right and I notices all these little raised spots of hair. Further inspection revealed that he has a bunch of little bumps all down the both of his sides. One of them started bleeding when I was brushing him. Any suggestions what these bumps could be? Could it be from the food? I was thinking about getting a bag of Fromm. That seems to be the best choice, but I don't know if switching him to another food right away is good for him either. He was on Prism from the breeder, then Nutro and now AvoDerm and he is only 6 months. Does this concern need a vet visit???? At a loss here!!!

 

[izstigspunks]

Those bumps may be hives due to allergies. Stig used to have them. If it's bleeding, you may want to go back to the vet to get some antibiotics to take care of any infection. Is this the first time you've noticed them since the food change? Approx 80% of allergies are due to food and the rest are environmental. I think it's ok for him to change food again as long as the transition is at least a week.

Did the vet mention anything about taking Benadryl? When Stig had hives, he recommended 1 pill of benadryl in the morning and evening meals along with a pill of salmon oil. Salmon oil is great for a dog's skin. He also gave us an aloe and oatmeal shampoo and advised us to rinse him with 1/3 white vinegar and 2/3 water after rinsing off all the soap with water. Don't rinse his face with the vinegar solution though because it'll sting his eyes.

Hope that helps. A lot of people here will also recommend from experience. G'luck in finding the right regimen for him. Don't worry, you will eventually.

 

[speechmom53]

Thanks so much! The vet really didn't say anything about benadryl. I noticed a little spot (rash) on his back a couple of weeks ago and when I took him to the vet to just get weighed for his heartworm meds I mentioned it to her. She informed me that he actually had a rash all the way up his back to the top of his head. It was an ichy rash. She said that if it was allergies then the steriod shot she gave him would help, which I think it did. Oatmeal shampoo what I bath him in, but I didn't know about the vinegar. I will have to give that a try during his next bath. If they aren't better by Monday I guess I will be making another trip to the vet and possibly changing food again!

 

[izstigspunks]

Members here will also mention that bullies who are highly allergic tend (not all the time though) to do well on fish proteins, such as Fromm Salmon a la veg. A lot seems to not do so fantastic on chicken and beef.

Also, his treats may be the culprit if you're giving some to him. Stig was allergic to all the store bought treats we got him before so we dehydrate meat for him now, or just give the occasional fruits and veggies. I remember when we stopped giving him any store bought treats about 90% of his hives disappeared in a couple of days!

Oh, for the benadryl, there's a certain dosage based on weight. I can't remember what it was but if you do a search you should be able to. I'll ask on the chat to see if anyone responds. Stig's 48lbs and we gave him two a day.

 

[patricia]

Hi! Mine has never gotten hives but has serious allergy problems from time to time. I give him benadryl too and I bought a spray that is "cooling to itchy skin - I spray that on his paws when he starts licking non-stop It helps the itch and since it taste bad he stops licking also. We also use a medicated shampoo that the vet gave him.
Hope your bully gets better.

 

[speechmom53]

I guess tomorrow is going to be another trip to the vet. Tubs was all itchy this morning. I sat on the floor scratching him for a half hour while he rolled around trying to get all of his itchies. I'll keep everyone informed on how things go. I think I am going to change his food too. All of this stuff started when he was switched to AvoDerm!

 

[bullmama]

It is hard to determine if it is the food or the weather, this time of year is the WORST for seasonal allergies.

Puppies are usually immune to seasonal allergies until they go through a whole season, but there are still allergens in the air regardless than can effect them. If he does seem to have allergies right now, mark your calender so you can monitor him next spring.

It is also possible that your bully is having an allergic reaction to some ingredient in the food. If you do decide to switch, (I like AvoDerm but Fromm is my favorite so you won't hear a dissapointment from me)........ make the transition very slowly. Since he is in obvious stress right now you don't want to do it too fast. Do it so that he won't even notice.

I don't know if I am correct, but you know when you get a scab and it itches like crazy? Because it is healing? Perhaps the steriods are closing off the hives he had and now that they are healing up and drying out it is causing him to be more itchy. Just a thought.

 

[Lucy-licious]

Not sure if dogs are the same, but my eldest son used to get hives..allergic to washing powder, fabric conditioner, most soaps, shampoos and to a lot of different medicine. They itched him until they were gone! if he took the top off one scratching and it scabbed it continued to itch until healed and gone. Poor baby he itched constantly for around a year whilst we figured everything out.

 

[sheshistory]

How old is Tubs?

I ask because if he's young, there is itching and hair loss, you might want to rule out mange at the vet.

 

[Barkley]

We had the same problem last week. Barkley had a bunch of bumps near his tail, one burst and it turned into a bacterial infection. The vet thought it was mange at first too, but now he thinks it's probably a food allergy. He's on antibiotics now. We're going to switch his dog food to Fromm's as well after reading everything on this forum. Good luck w/his itching...I hope it calms down soon.

 

[speechmom53]

Just had an opportunity to sit down and read everyone's suggestions. Funny thing is....bumps are all gone and no itching....I'm stumped. I will mention it to the vet next week when I take him into get neutered. I think I am going to hold off on switching his food until he is all healed from his surgery, so I don't traumatize him too much at one time! We will see.

 

[ABEBD]

Good Day~
That is good news to hear about the improvement. There are SO MANY reasons that cause itching and skin irritations that it is hard to say for sure what it is. The best approach is to rule OUT what it IS NOT first! Being very careful about making any changes in diet should take place on at least a week timeframe of slowly changing the amounts (90/10, 80/20, etc). Was there any other changes in bedding, a new bed, a trip to a new park or place?

While skin conditions can occur from food allergies and other environmental reasons, skin parasites, mites and other problems can also occur. A skin scraping is quick at the vet office and the vet can look under the microscope and rule out any dermatlogical reasons. Then it is a matter of treating the results using shampoos, conditioners, etc and finding out what caused it in the first place.

Sometimes they just go away by themselves. Did they eat a spider or bug?

Keep us posted.